So the very nice girls and guys over at womworld (http://www.womworld.com/nokia/) kindly posted off their N85 for me to have a play with. It arrived today. I thought I'd post some comments, notes, observations and 'living withs' in the forum here (not specs and all the stuff you already probably know) and leave it open to anyone with specific questions or comments about the device whilst I have one in my hands. I'll keep the thread as neat as possible. ;)

So, Monday:
The phone arrived and the first thing I thought was 'that box is slim'. The N95 (my current phone) box is still in the bottom draw in the office and this new box is much slimmer. I hoped that was to be the same of the contents...
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/031120080371.jpg

And it was. The N85 sat there in its piano black sleekness (with copper back), but it was actually bigger than I thought it was going to be. At least bigger in length. It's marginally longer than the N95 when closed, with a visually longer and visually narrower screen. Its thin though and in the pocket test it was easy to tell which was which. I was kind of
expecting it to be smaller though? Its heavier too, but that does give it a good solid feel (when its closed, but I'll come back to that).

Starting the phone the battery was half full, so I thought lets go with the USB charging!! I hooked it up to the laptop and ..... well, nothing. It asked whether I wanted PCSuite, data transfer etc etc but the battery level indicator just stayed put. Hmmm? I pulled it back out and got a message that was gone too quick to read (though probably something to do with disconnecting properly) and then plugged it back in. This time I felt a distinctive 'click' into position and it started charging. Clearly you got to make sure it gets right in there as it will connect to your PC even if its not fully inserted. The USB charging option is great though, finally. Although I seem to have Nokia chargers EVERYWHERE, there's still the hassle of pulling them out of cable boxes, climbing around under desks, tables etc etc where as now I can just stick the mini usb in and we're off.

The slide on the N85 has been a talking point already and this one is the same. When closed its fine, but you slide it open and any press of the keys give the slider downward movement and an audible 'tap' sound before the dull click of the button itself. I don't know why this is the case with these phones, but there's no play like that in the previous Nokia sliders I've had. Staying on the slider, because its is a totally smooth fronted phone there is no ridge to stick your thumb into to slide it open. This results in one thing with single handed opening:

FINGERPRINTS

The quickest way finds that when you pick the phone up, it lands your thumb directly in the centre of the screen. I hate fingerprints, although with a phone that's smooth of course its going to happen!! Just something you will have to get used to if you have 'fingerprint issues'. ;) I've found it 'difficult' to single handedly open the slider for the multimedia keys as my thumb just slides over the screen unless I press down hard, although this issue is negated by the fact that if your going to need those keys, you're normally turning the phone to landscape position and can have two hands on the phone. The slider motion itself feels really good. It snaps into its position well and without too much sound and no wobble back.

So what's different to look at inside? Well first off its much of the same, but it displays in a 'prettier' style. Under personalisation, the first thing was to pick a theme which ended up being Haze, a smooth teal looking theme. And then, of course, you have to have the theme effects on. This give you a transition between screens, much like say... vista for example. You also have a choice now in the layout of the menu items over just list and grid, The new options include horseshoe and v-shaped though I'm struggling to make these of any greater use over the classic grid/list. It just takes to long to get to what you want... its all about looks here rather than purpose I think.

V-Shaped menu layout
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/Screenshot0010.jpg
There is a nice stand by option which I like, as it all about the position of the icon bar on the stand by screen. Finally I don't have to have the bar going across the top but can have it down the side (vertical bar) or not at all (basic). Its all about choices!

In the general settings, with this phone having the Navi wheel, there's some configuration for it. i.e. On or Off. I turned it on but could I get it to work? NOPE! After much messing around I just left it and moved to the breathing setting. Breathing?? Really? Is that what they are calling it!? Basically with breathing set to ON, the light around the Navi wheel pulses periodically when in standby. It looks nice, with a 'breathing' white light, though if you sleep in total darkness I can see it getting annoying. (you can turn it off though)
There is also a sensor setting option in general, which allows you to turn the auto rotate ON/OFF. If you have the theme effects on when you rotate the screen it doesn't just snap from horizontal to vertical, but transitions. Again, looks pretty. There seems to be a lot of that in this handset. Its pretty.

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:16 PM

Tuesday:
Still going from the USB charge yesterday its been on all night and starts the day with still a full set of bars as the alarm tones off. There seems to be a lot of mention about having the FM radio come on as the alarm tone but I couldn't see anything... I wonder if its in need of the headset in before you can pick it? Anyway, the 1200 battery seems to be making a bit of a difference. The screen itself in OLED style looks great. Its good on the power saving too and I like it. Its sharp colours and sharp whiteness of the clock in standby looks excellent. And finally, in standby you can see the clock... its not in black text!! Genius!

It got a couple of visual tests today. First off in the meeting today the phones were on the desk. A couple of blackberry curves, blackberry 8800 and sharp wimo, an N95, a palm treo(?), an N95-8GB and the N85. The N85 looked the business on the table. Won hands down. Very smooth. Looked sleek and interesting over the others, and managed to hold itself well in a business setting. Later on in the evening its come up against the pub table, with the usual blackberry competition, N95, E61 and some freaky small but cool phone from Japan. Again, it looked good.

One thing that seems to have been levelled at the phone by friends and colleagues is that the phone is a bit girlie looking? I don't agree with them in the naming, but understand what they are trying to say, as its a phone (as I have said) that's being pretty, hence the girlie comment. Perhaps in a load of suits flaunting their blackberrys around it wouldn't cut the mustard for them. But in its position in the market I think its looks excellent. It small form and smooth dark face stand it well.

I started the day off having spent Monday missing the key presses I wanted. Having no ridge on the buttons on the slider was making the adjustment from the N95 a bit awkward. Plenty of double presses on separate keys, closing things I didn't want to close and launching things I didn't want to launch. Tuesday proved more successful though and my thumb having adjusted to where the menu and left/right soft keys were but I still find the green/red keys placed right on the very edge of the frame a little.... difficult. And that brings me back to the Navi wheel.

Rubbish.

I really couldn't/can't get it working to any use, and it seems the reason for that was that I was perhaps pressing too hard. I have to touch it sooooooo gently to get it to work it is wholly pointless! It's got some serious competition of course with the ipod scroll method... but its not even close. I can safely say I hate it. No problem tho... turn that setting off too. ;)

I am liking a different new addition though. The keylock flick switch on the side which locks/unlocks the key pad is good. I've normally slid the slider back and forth to unlock but now I have a dedicated switch that allows me to use the phone without having to slide it.

I have set up a couple of mail boxes and the email comes in very quick with no issues which I was pleased to see. I often have a stalling period on the 95, but its as expected here. The first set up gave me the option of MfE or a normal mail setting. Since adding in my regular email I seem to have lost the MfE option, which I do actually need. Where is it?? Best have a look for that in a bit.

I tried the FM transmitter today too in my car. I was pretty pleased to see that the phone had this function... excellent thinking big N. I tuned my car stereo into the correct frequency and played a tune. All I got through the stereo though was an intermittent tone. No music. The problem I have is that my car is equipped with BT for the phone itself. Once the phone is paired with the car it means that no other connection to the phone is going to happen. So if I want to stream the music to the car, I'd need to turn the BT off. Clearly that's not going to happen what with being on your phone whilst driving. So I don't think I'm really ever going to get any use out of the FM transmitter option. Shame because I think it's a grand idea. Its very very easy to set working:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/fm.jpg

Tomorrow, I have a full day at an expo at the NEC so I'll get a good bit of 3G/Wifi action, so although I still have 3 bars at this point, its going to get another charge tonight.

A couple of final things, the photos in dark light still suck and the button to the right of the Navi wheel...I'm not really getting yet.

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:17 PM

Wednesday:

So today, I had a day down at the NEC at a construction expo. I took the phone off charge from an overnight plug charge at about 0800hrs. I have MfE running at peak times every 30 mins. (Peak being 0900 - 1930) and not at all off peak. It's now 2230hrs and this is the first time I've heard the low battery tone. (its different! ;)) It's had a bit of use and I think in all honesty my N95 would be dead by now, but this isn't that much further behind, so you would still be in the situation where you need to charge daily! ;)

Whilst wondering through the exhibition halls, there was an ideal photo op to send back to the lads in the office, so I pulled out the N85 to get a quick snap shot to mail them.

Now this was a pretty good photo op, but I wanted to get it as quickly as possible before I missed it. It took an age to start the camera and then I couldn't get it to focus. So about seven or eight seconds, and before the model moved off whatever it was she was sitting on, I had to force the shot. Hence the above image. If I'm using a phone camera, its often because I want to quickly capture an image. I've tried it a few times now and failed (though clearly there are plenty of other times I have taken a very decent picture). I find the pressure you need to put on the button sometimes results in me getting the red or green lines, other times I see the lens try to focus, but not actually get that far. It's also about 5 seconds from sliding the lens slider down before you get an image you can then try to focus on. :(

Anyway on the way home, the M1 was shut, so I got my colleague to get into Nokia Maps. Now I've never been a fan of Nokia Maps in all honesty, but it's all I had today to try and find a route home (so clearly a benefit right there). There were plenty of times that it didn't pin us in the correct position, and this is with the phone in the open position at all times. Coming back through Derby on the A52, so a major road, it left me a good chunk off (though heading in the correct direction).

Another problem, well hardly a problem, but something that isn't supposed to happen appeared when the phone is idle. The menu/clear and soft key lights have remained lit. Also, if I slid it for the multimedia keys, the play/stop lights didn't light up. It's happened a couple of times, but has corrected itself after a restart back to just the time showing.

So, with the maps probably running for about 1.5 hrs and with MfE and the rest of the day use, i.e. no phone calls and only a couple of photos, the battery is done. I don't have an issue with charging the battery each night but clearly if your on the road somewhere your are going to need a charge point. I could of course just plug it in whilst I'm typing this. ;)

I've also found a liking for the button to the right of the Navi wheel, despite its ugliness on this otherwise smooth face. Previously, to view my recent photos I had to double click the play button on the side of the N95. That launched the preview of my last photo taken. The new button on the front now does that but so much more. I now get a rolling set of 'tiles' for Photos, Maps, Internet, Maps, Games, TV & Video, Music and Contacts with a variety of relevant options on each. I think that easy access button will be use full once you arrange the tiles as you want them.

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:17 PM

Thursday:

Last night found me in the pitch black looking to send an email. I noticed in the dark that there was a distinct difference from the amount of light leaking. On the N85 there is none. Well at least not out the sides. There is a bit of 'fluffy light' from the Navi wheel but thats all. Very tight.

I have had 2 major gripes today though. Not a good day in all. Firstly, I lost all visuals for my videos. It said it would be playing but there was no image and no sound. Annoying, as I had to restart the phone to get anything. Much MUCH more annoying though was the keypad. Was..... ? I mean IS.

In a call with DTMF needs such as telephone banking, when I wanted to enter some digits I found the keypad needed 2 presses to get the first key. So that resulted in a lot of 'not enough numbers' or 'not recognised' comments from the voice at the other side. Things seem to be very slow. The menus are slow although turning off the theme effects helps a bit here, going into a folder is slow... I want things to be a bit more snappy! This slowness is probably why I needed two presses to get the first key accepted. i.e. the first press made the phone think 'oh here we go... he's pressing a button' and the second press got me to 'there it is, show it on my screen'. I don't want to have to pause whilst the phone gets ready for my key presses!! I found this happening with the menu button a couple of times today too...

I had a play with the FM transmitter too. It piped the tunes from the N85 to the stereo no problems. The volume needs to be adjusted through whatever system you are playing the music too. I found that I could move about 5 meters away from the player before the signal went. I also found that the stereo received the signal best when I held or put the phone on its side with the speakers facing the floor. I still need to try it in the car with my BT off though. One thing I wanted to do was to see if I could stream Internet radio over the FM trans. I couldn't although that doesn't mean you can't. I just can't get the Internet radio to work at the moment. Despite it finding my network, and all other services over wifi working, I just get 'connection timed out, try again' Not sure on that one right now, will see if theres an updated version to the on on the handset?

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:17 PM

Friday:

I'm happy now that I'm definitely not the only person that cant work the Navi Wheel. It's been around the office, and girls can't do it either. So its not a dainty finger thing. *phew* ;)

The interface to PC Suite works nicely though. I get a call in and its comes on my screen who is calling etc. The SMS interface works well too for send receive although if I read a message on the laptop, I still displays as a new message waiting on the phone screen...

I have noticed, that the vibrate on the phone is FIERCE though!!! And also, the sound from the phone is much clearer. Clearly the speaker placement works a treat. The only time it doesn't though, is when you are still holding it in your hand. Then the sounds are muffled somewhat.... but hey, just move it.

The FM transmitter only works in my car (an Audi) if you don't have your bluetooth connection on as mentioned earlier. Otherwise, the BT connection takes over all sound from the phone which is normally fine. Its displays Nokia on the stereo, as it does on any any other stereo you are play music too. One problem I have though, is that the N810 contacts manager doesn't work for this phone, so I can't push my contacts across to the car. So... not names.

I've installed Y-browser, and Fring and skyequikey, and a few widgets no problems. I'm out of luck at the moment for easily finding any other apps. AllAboutSymbian software section doesn't list the N85 or 3.2 FP2 phones, and nor does Nokias own MOSH. I don't know!

Last thing tonight... for example if you are in contacts. and you press the soft options key, at the top of the pop up you have 'show open apps'. This is the same as holding down the menu key. It actually makes getting to 'exit' or the last option (by going up the menu to get to the end instead of down the menu) a longer process. (like 2 clicks). Seems a bit pointless.

Sorry, that wasn't the last thing. This is. I miss the 'edit key'. I can't multi select pictures for names or whatever. :(

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:17 PM

The Weekend!

Well, That's the week over and the weekend is here! Plenty of opportunity to play with the phone!! Except, I'm not really that in to it :( There's nothing NEWand EXCITING. The shape is nice, the weight of the phone good, but the menu is slow and it's much the same as my N95. Perhaps if the Navi Wheel worked perfectly, it would make the user interfacing more interesting, but it doesn't... so its turned off. One thing I do like, is the FM Transmitter. In fact, I can safely say that is the only thing I'm going to miss when this phone returns to Nokia. I've been able to stream my fav. Internet radio through the stereo just through FM... easy! The FM selection menu is quick and easy too, just choose the frequency you want to transmit on and off you go:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/fm.jpg

I had another look at the camera, and again had similar issues to before. I'm sure that if you are taking the shot on an inanimate object, you can pose yourself correctly and steadily take the shot. Kids, animals, automotive etc... forget it. I seem to have normally ended up with shots like this... (quality not content) ;):

The final straw came when I got this old favourite:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/Screenshot0007.jpg

The only apps running were the camera, the menu and standby.

Its not all bad. The gallery looks better. Well, I say looks better, it looks the same it just navigates better. You can view a picture in full screen and click to rotate. If you hold the rotate button down though, the image minimises and the carousel of shots comes into view until you pause when it nicely transitions your chose shot back into full view.

Of all the screens when navigating though the options, this is the slowest. Its painful:
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/kontrabandphotos/Screenshot0008.jpg

Final thoughts to the weekend: I also experienced the OLED in the SUNLIGHT Its pretty hard to read anything in brighter light actually. Its not impossible, you just have to focus more on getting the right angle. I'm sure this is something you would quickly become used to. The screen on the whole is very nice.

A late edition comment though is the 'listen' option for all your messages. Is this put in because of driving hands free or something... I mean, having an SMS or email read out to you in a non reflective computer voice just sucks quite frankly... I dont get the point. Does anyone else??

kontraband

28-10-2008, 08:17 PM

Summary:

I think this phone will be good. It isn't at the moment, but after a f/w update or two, I can only hope they smooth/speed up the operation and its becomes more of a joy to use. It is a very nice looking phone as I've said, but there are no new major developments or anything to stand out when other handset manufacturers are innovating more. Its more of the same mostly though, if you are an N-series owner but with the N95 being two years old now, not a lot has changed. Perhaps Nokia are working on not changing a winning formula. (winning in that the N-series has a mass appeal). Perhaps they did the innovating first and have sat back a bit, whilst those of the likes of RIM seem to be innovating as they are changing an old formula?

I like the OLED screen as its very clear and sharp but it isn't that clear in brighter light. I like the visuals on the phone, but they are possibly one of the reasons the menu runs slower, I like the gallery and camera interface but I can't get a decent shot without being totally totally still for 5 seconds. Which brings me to the conclusion that this is a phone of compromises. In the natural order of upgrading your phone, then yes.. this should be one you have a look at. I wouldn't rush to go get one myself as I think I can safely say I won't be sorry to see it go.

There are two things I do like though, no compromises. The FM Transmitter and the key lock switch. I hope that Nokia roll these out to as many handsets as they can/that need it. Its hardly ground breaking in the new choices but its a solid enough phone for anyone in a position to want a tidy sized upgrade.

So, I have this phone for a few more days... and I'll add anything else I think is worth mentioning in its day to day use. If you have any comments on anything I have said too... then let me know.

Not quite sure I understood this bit thoguh 'slider downward movement and an audible 'tap' sound before the dull click of the button itself', but then its been a while since I saw this phone.

Thanks for posting this.

Obskure

28-10-2008, 11:34 PM

Cheers, Kontraband. Been waiting for something like this to appear. Trying to justify the "early adopter" fees of €515. But I feel that I won't be able to hold off for very long.
Though,I do have a question that maybe you can verify over the course of the week:
Could you please try the FM Transmitter again without the bluetooth connection? I like listening to podcasts while driving and this is(one of)my killer features.
Again, thanks for the detailed report on usage. Looking forward to more!

bartmanekul

29-10-2008, 08:32 AM

I can echo the slider movement when its up. Worst of it is, it 'rattles' when on the phone. Seems its just the right movement for the slider to move about, which is very annoying.

Hopefully when I get my next one (current one is going back due to a GPS fault - cant get a lock), it will not have this slider problem.

Oh, and the FM transmitter works very well, except for when there is a strong signal on the same frequency - it usually battles the phone. So find a pretty much unsed frequency, or you might be driving along and suddenly have a fight between classic FM and you're favourite song.

Rafe

29-10-2008, 10:03 AM

I'm hoping the pre-ordered N85 turns up here shortly so I can add some more comments. FM transmitter has been one of my favourite features in the N78. Really pleased to see it in the N85 and N79.

bartmanekul

29-10-2008, 10:16 AM

Im wondering if its going to become standard for S60 Nokias (like GPS), or remain an N series feature. My bet is on the latter.

I also have to echo the naviwheel problems - its so ineffective I just turned it off.

Apperently, it works different for for different people. Something to do with your fingertips? Will be interesting to see how you get on with it Rafe.

Out of interest, where did you pre-order it from? If its Nokia, they had some in stock yesterday.

kontraband

29-10-2008, 11:57 PM

Rafe, no problems. The slider comment is similar to what bart has said, though theres some differences for me. When it's open there isn't any issue with the slider making a noise or wobbling during a call, but if the phone is held in one hand, and you put your thumb on the bottom of the slider, that's when it wobbles. So it's weighted unevenly towards the bottom of the slider which is why theres no wobble when the phone is pressed against the ear.

Obskure, I will play with the FM transmitter again for sure. I'll try it in a couple of link ups to various stereos. €515 is possibly to much for me right now, a heavy price to pay to be an early adopter of this phone. I'll reassess that later though. Are you driving a car that has a bluetooth connection in it?

Bart, I'd go with you on the latter too, though hope we're wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing what Rafe has to say about the Navi wheel too.

jwaisanen

30-10-2008, 03:24 PM

How does the N85 feel when the slider is out and you're holding it between your shoulder and your ear?

My old N80 didn't sit properly, like it was going to fall out from between. At the very least, it was very hard to hear and hold there.

kontraband

30-10-2008, 07:54 PM

jwaisanen,

For me... Very solid. Very solid indeed. :)

l1nknp4rk

31-10-2008, 05:35 AM

what kind of apps have you tried installing on the phone? im thinking of getting a n85 myself but am worried all the apps I have on my n95 8gb wont be compatible....can you list of the apps you tried installing?

kontraband

31-10-2008, 12:11 PM

l1nknp4rk, what apps you want to know about specifically? Vbag and magickey? I'll try them out for you if I can.

rajkanneganti

03-11-2008, 03:18 AM

kontraband,

I'm really having trouble with the DTMF telephone banking thing. Apart from that, I hate the fact that Nokia's email does not work.

More importantly, arent the buttons too hard to press? My thumb is kinda in pain from the last two days since I got my N85. I'm talking about the Navi key and its neighbors specifically. I'm not sure if I should keep this phone now. My thumb really aches. And I'm a previous E71 user. Luckily I didn't give that phone away.

Man the vibration is like an earthquake. Its so strong that I had to switch it off the first time I used the phone!

kontraband

03-11-2008, 09:44 AM

yeah rajkanneganti , I totally understand where you are coming from. The keys, as they are flat as a surface, are much harder to press as firstly you don't feel each one individually and secondly you have to give a firm push to get it to work.

I'm having trouble with the keys in general though. Missed presses being the main culprit, or pressing a button to open the tiles menu, only for it not to happen and you need to press it again BUT, it actually did get your first press so now it closes the tile menu!!! AARGGHHH!!!

I think I'm over the fingerprints thing though.

Jerro

03-11-2008, 11:47 AM

I just got my N85 a few days ago, and I find the buttons not too hard to press. My only problem is how much dirt and stuff gets in between the keys on the keypad, and how there's no Windows Live Messenger as yet on FP2 :(

Ah well, the N85 is definitely a good phone. A nice upgrade from my old N76.

kontraband

03-11-2008, 11:50 AM

its not hard as in difficult I dont think, just hard as in theres not as much feel as a single key. Does that make sense? I dont seem to have a dirt issue. Empty your pockets!! ;)

And cant you just use Fring?

rajkanneganti

03-11-2008, 12:21 PM

yeah too much dirt in your pockets no doubt. My phone does not have a dust problem and I look in a quarry! U cant find it any worse than in a quarry.

Btw, why the hell hasn't Nokia implemented a missed event notification when they included the breathing light???? I have an E71 and the breathing light not only breathes but also works as a missed event notification light. The breathing light breathes faster when u have a missed event. I'm really puzzled as to why Nokia does not have this feature on the N85

kontraband, are u getting positive number matches on your phone for the incoming calls? For some reason all my home and work numbers dont get identified by the phone when receiving incoming calls. All my mobile phone numbers in the phone book get positively identified though. Strange problem. It happens to all my home and work numbers. Done the 7780 and the 3 button salute as well. Still no luck :(

Could you please check and let me know? Thanks a ton!

kontraband

03-11-2008, 12:31 PM

rajkanneganti , they have the missed call breathing on the N96 so yeah, no sure why its not on the N85.

I'm not having any issues with number identification no. That is strange its only home/work numbers. You dont have duplicates on the SIM/Phone do you? When you dial the number manually does the name show up??

rajkanneganti

03-11-2008, 12:59 PM

rajkanneganti , they have the missed call breathing on the N96 so yeah, no sure why its not on the N85.

I'm not having any issues with number identification no. That is strange its only home/work numbers. You dont have duplicates on the SIM/Phone do you? When you dial the number manually does the name show up??

I hope they implement it in a firmware update. Makes no sense to have a breathing light without that. We're not small infants wanting to see a brainless breathing light on a phone and say WOW.

My bad. Thanks for the Tip! I put back the sim into the E71 and noticed that those numbers were on my sim. Strangely I was unable to open the sim directory on the N85. It doesn't matter to me anyway. Now it works perfectly.

I hope they implement it in a firmware update. Makes no sense to have a breathing light without that. We're not small infants wanting to see a brainless breathing light on a phone and say WOW.

I hope so too, but I doubt it. I think it remains one of those odd E series only things (my E66 has it).

Just like the whole search name thing from the standby screen.

With the E66 (and presumably the E71), from the standby screen you can just hit 686, and it brings up 'Mum' from the contacts list.

Why they dont add that to other S60's I dont know.

rajkanneganti

03-11-2008, 01:47 PM

I hope so too, but I doubt it. I think it remains one of those odd E series only things (my E66 has it).

Just like the whole search name thing from the standby screen.

With the E66 (and presumably the E71), from the standby screen you can just hit 686, and it brings up 'Mum' from the contacts list.

Why they dont add that to other S60's I dont know.

I think the contacts search and breathing light missed event notifications are E series exclusives. I hope Nokia changes its stand on that. Wishful thinking.

Pinkpound

03-11-2008, 02:25 PM

Hello all

Just a quick question... will the n85 be able to run tomtom ? ... I ve just had to return my n96 to t-moby due to poor coverage and had installed it tomtom on n96 and was working fine

Many Thanks

kontraband

03-11-2008, 03:03 PM

bart, this N85 has skyequikey which I thought was a demo version but seems to still be working fine... I still go via the contacts tho!! DOH! ;)

Its a decent app anyway if it doesnt come with it for £10 or.. £9 as it is at the moment.

pink, the tomtom site is well out of date with its compatibilities... so I cant be sure without installing it on it... I'll have a look later on see what happens. One thing I have noticed though is that Tomtom doesnt play with the rotation of the screen. i.e. If the screen rotates, tomtom stops.

Pinkpound

03-11-2008, 03:29 PM

Thanks kontraband

On the n96 did actually rotate but didnt go widescreen so was very small

:)

dhevans_6

04-11-2008, 09:10 PM

I see Best profiles got updated to include FP2.

Is this still worth purchasing, or is there something now profile manager built into the o/s?

It's definitely the first app on my list to buy, I can't live with out it..

kontraband

04-11-2008, 11:29 PM

no, there is nothing new in the way of auto profiles so you are going to have to stick with best profile. :-)

tallguyuk

06-11-2008, 05:11 PM

Hi all, been a lurker for a few years and thought i would actually join!

(convenient eh, considering i'm asking a question ;) )

anyhoo, i'm a Nokia-phile have been for years and unless something drastic happens will probably be forever!

My current N95 is due for replacement, thank god, and after much umming an erring between the N96 and N85 - all reports prior to its launch seemed to point me in the direction of the N85.

I realise that all newly released phones have a period of annoyance (as all us N95 users will verify!) but is just me or is the N85 not living up to its much hyped expectations?

That's not really the question that's more of a discussion statement!

My question is this...

Is there anybody out there that knows when the N85 is scheduled to be released on t-mobile? (uk)

I've rang countless times in the last couple of months and all they keep saying is its not on their system so it won't be until at least feb! and most of them have said that they haven't even heard of it!

I've been with them for over 10 years (from the days of o2o etc.) and i really don't want to move, so any inside info would be much appreciated.

Cheers you lovely lot!

Pete

radical24

06-11-2008, 09:34 PM

I love my Nokia N85 have not had any problems at all with it, well...almost...the bluetooth reception seems to have a bug in it and hopefully will be quickly fixed by next firmware ASAP....no wobbly slider love the battery life it rocks compared to my n95-3...the fp2 at first appeared to me to be slightly different, with time fp2 with those subtle differences are not so subtle they are actually major in how you operate the phone and get to its functions...i love the phone so far..not perfect but then has anyone heard of a perfect device....? i have yet to find one

rajkanneganti

07-11-2008, 03:03 AM

I hope they implement it in a firmware update. Makes no sense to have a breathing light without that. We're not small infants wanting to see a brainless breathing light on a phone and say WOW.

My bad. Thanks for the Tip! I put back the sim into the E71 and noticed that those numbers were on my sim. Strangely I was unable to open the sim directory on the N85. It doesn't matter to me anyway. Now it works perfectly.

I think I overreacted. The problem still exists. I for one was sure that I got a postive match once I checked immediately after deleting the SIM contacts.

Kontraband, would you know how to reinstall the firmware? Thanks

seki

07-11-2008, 09:13 AM

I think I overreacted. The problem still exists. I for one was sure that I got a postive match once I checked immediately after deleting the SIM contacts.

Kontraband, would you know how to reinstall the firmware? Thanks

Publicly available for the N85 .. once its is then reinstallation will be trivial.:)

kontraband

07-11-2008, 03:21 PM

yeah, what Seki has said.. ;) Best to just keep checking NSU and forums as as soon as its out.. someone will post it! ;)

Tallguyuk, dnot got any definates that I know of for UK release.

radical24

07-11-2008, 03:57 PM

they are right, NSU does not recognize n85 at present. Hopefully it will change soon and they will make a freaking update to the bluetooth problem that i am experiencing.

kontraband

07-11-2008, 04:03 PM

couple of things to add to my weeks use.

The hard set keys that Ive mentioned actually seem to work a treat when its come to the speed of typing. Not sure if its me or the keys but it feels faster.

The ShareOnline works perfectly, and its nice to have the MfE settings in mail instead of a standalone app folder.

Theres still the annoying lag on 1st key presses.

I think the final thing though is that I'm not going to miss it when I return the phone to Nokia. The looks maybe, but I'm thinking it needs to speed up a bit before I love it.

radical24

07-11-2008, 04:54 PM

Kontraband:

keys for speed totally awesome, and do agree with the fact that you have to press keys twice for the phone to acknowledge request. despite that and few other glitches i can't see myself going back to my N95-3 or N82 have no desire, use n82 for picks only anyway. INMO this phone rocks, and no Nokia will never get it right the first time, and will never relase a perfect phone, right now this one is as close as it gets to that experience.

kontraband

07-11-2008, 04:58 PM

yeah radical24, that is a fair enough comment. Im not bashing the phone... its a good phone. Its got some positives and negatives as you mention though, there is no perfect phone. This is just fine.

radical24

07-11-2008, 05:08 PM

kontraband I am not hurt ;) disagreement, diffrence of opinion is healthy in my view, it helps readers, and those potential buyers see all angles the good and the bad. I am all good and up for respectful difference of opinion. In my world it is the only way to go, I don't see how on forums or elsewhere it would be any different. I like your observations you have made on n85 I think that they are solid, have no objections, just making another observation is all ;)

kontraband

07-11-2008, 05:15 PM

agreed. :D That what we are all here for and AAS has a good bit of sensible debate! ;)

mamoo_51

07-11-2008, 07:40 PM

opened my N85 about an hour ago and so far im underwhelmed.

I seem to have received the wrong charger - i've got the "mini" nokia carger like the N95 one, not a USB one so can only charge via my pc at the moment :mad:

i've lost count of how many times its restarted itself, sometimes even when im not using it it will just decide to reboot.

photo quality receives a resounding...meh :con? ... two years after the N95 release and very little improvement at all. It may even be worse in fact

my red call cancel button has a black stripe through it

Menus seem slow

auto rotation seems to have very little practical use...as does the "navi-wheel" or any of the new menu layouts

Camera button needs to be pushed almost right into the phones casing to take a photo which has so far ALWAYS meant camera movement and a blurred picture

On the possitive side:

The slider wobble doesnt seem as bad as i had feared

White text on a black background for the clock screensave...FINALLY !! :)

the clock is visible at most (all?!) times

It looks and feels far smarter than the N95

auto rotation seems a cool feature to show off as do the menu layouts

a physical key lock :redface:

8gb memory card included :redface:

so far the jury is out as far as im concerned. Will give it more time to make a conclusion as the whether i think its any real improvement on the N95

radical24

07-11-2008, 07:45 PM

hmm the restarting seems concerning, the charger issue is a bummer and I suggest you contact the seller to send you another one, the black stripe through the red/end call is on all n85's as far as I know. hope you can sort it all out and perhaps even exchange your purchase as it does not seem to be ok with those restarts, mine has not restarted once, with the exception of openning nearly every possible app on my phone just for the kicks, other than that it had been rock solid and no funny business

mamoo_51

07-11-2008, 07:57 PM

The black stripe is a "feature"?! strange! guess i can live with it but it looked like something was wrong at first. Now you've pointed that out i can see exactly the same stripe on the product photo on the box it came in. What a bizarre design decision.

restarts seem to have calmed down now. They seemed to be occuring during the first time i connected it to my pc.

Cant understand why the screen saver clock keeps going dark for about a second every minute then relighting...very distracting!!

Looking forward to trying the FM transmitter in my car in a bit.

As i've said, i've only had the thing 1-2hours so these really are just initial thoughts. I've no doubt (well, i hope!!) things will settle once i adapt to it.

radical24

07-11-2008, 08:03 PM

yeah and the clock issue...well at least now it's there to stay...here on mine as well...the design...it's a matter of taste like all else i suppose in this world ;)

mamoo_51

08-11-2008, 10:59 AM

I'm starting to warm to it now :) having left it turned off overnight the random reboots seem to have stopped this morning :)

FM transmission in my car was near perfect once i found a free frequency. This was one of the features i was looking forward to most so i'm glad it was as good as i hoped.

Maps 2.0 looks like its got a few good features (save screen shot and traffic info, even if you do have to pay for the latter) GPS signal locks extremely quickly compared to the N95 too :)

Nearly blinded the girlfriend when testing out the camera so seems like the flash is plenty powerful.

I'm actually getting used to the navi wheel

am impressed with the quality of sound coming from the internal speakers. Its by no means a hi-fi replacement but much better than any other mobiles ive heard.

Looking forward to finding a use for the online share feature. Being able to upload photos on the move sounds interesting but am not convinced i'd ever be so desperate to upload photos that i couldnt wait until i had a pc and internet connection.

Sports tracker looks like it could be good too :)

I know some of these features (sports tracker, maps 2.0 and maybe share online) were possible on the N95 but i fell out of love with that when it broke and mr nokia refused to do a warranty repair on it so most of the features went unused as i lost interest!!

kontraband

08-11-2008, 11:23 AM

hey mamoo_51, your first post comments were my EXACT feelings.

Im glad to hear the restarting has calmed down ... this is one thing I havent experienced.

The black stripe... as you say, is a slightly weird design choice! ;)

ShareOnline is great for me, as where ever I am I can normally reach a wifi area or 3G so can post anytime. I use shareonline in the house too so I dont need to start on the laptop.

Camera though, I have the exact same issue. You do have to give the button a firm push into the casing which give you the shake and HEY PRESTO!! BLURRRRRRRED PHOTOS!!

mamoo_51

08-11-2008, 12:08 PM

sadly i cant give any suggestions as to why the rebooting seemed to calm down. One thing i think MAY have helped is that i declined to restart my PC after first attaching the phone. I shut it down last night and this morning more new hardware was detected by windows. Other than that NOTHING has changed. Assuming you havent had your phone permanently attached to your PC without restarting it i guess the only thing left to do is hope it resolves itself, maybe with a firmware update.

The technical achievement of being able to share thoughts, photos and video with the whole world almost as they occur is great and as a feature it seems a good addition but i still cant think how i would use this myself. Most photos i take with my phone can easily just wait until the next time im connected to the pc before the whole world sees them. Maybe my approach to this will change soon though, who knows.

Overall though, despite a few concerns at first, im quite impressed after my first 12hours with the phone

princevincenty

08-11-2008, 12:16 PM

jwaisanen,

For me... Very solid. Very solid indeed. :)
Hi,
I am new to symbian can i get a way out to connect a pc-2-phone 4 browsing?

kontraband

08-11-2008, 12:17 PM

mamoo_51, I understand your ShareOnline thought... speaking personally, I find it easier to not use wires. So just fire the photo off and its there.

Hi,
I am new to symbian can i get a way out to connect a pc-2-phone 4 browsing?

I don't know if I understand that question? You want to browse your phone via your PC??

What is it you want to do by connecting your devices?

killerxsin

10-11-2008, 09:18 AM

i heard that the n85's screen is prone to scratches and is very fragile. is it true?

kontraband

10-11-2008, 09:57 AM

I dont think so no... It should be no more prone to scratching than the others. It is a very smooth face though and with it being black may show more? It certainly doesnt feel fragile...

bertolt

10-11-2008, 06:00 PM

after reading the review by 'THETRUTH' in mobileworldinnovation, i was sure to buy this phone. but after reading this write-up, i now have 2nd thoughts. of importance for me is the quality of the pics and videos. are the pics really that bad for moving objects? or is it just because the button is hard to press? would u recommend waiting for the 5800? thanks.

kontraband

10-11-2008, 07:23 PM

well look, this is just opinions here... I have found it a real pain to get a decent photo of a moving object... I dont think it is just this phone though as I have probs with N95 sometimes too... Im not the only one whose said that though, but put it this way.

If I press the button far enough in to get the green framing, if anything moves in the image I can see blur on the screen so I know its going to go to the actual photo.

I've also recently (last 3 days) experienced the keypad lights not dimming... and then without interference they start power saving again. ??

bertolt

11-11-2008, 07:10 AM

kontraband, more queries for you please,

-are u able to install ADVANCED DEVICE LOCKS, CRYPTO or any other apps that password protects specified apps/folders?

-how's the reception of youtube videos

-i have these apps in my phone and hoping they will work on this phone:
joikospot, internet radio, worldmate, screenshot, smartmovie, frng, nimbuzz, shozu, ccam, msn messenger

thanks a lot.

kontraband

11-11-2008, 09:59 AM

( see blue text)
kontraband, more queries for you please,

-are u able to install ADVANCED DEVICE LOCKS, CRYPTO or any other apps that password protects specified apps/folders?

ADL is confirmed as being compatible with N85, Cryto isnt listed as comptible but does list other FP2 compatible sets.

-how's the reception of youtube videos
m.youtube, I'm having a gateway issue on... though its not N85 specific... will try later

-i have these apps in my phone and hoping they will work on this phone:
joikospot, yes internet radio, yes worldmate, screenshotyes smartmovie, fring,yes nimbuzz, shozu, ccam, msn messenger.

For the others you'll need to check the compat lists or test it out.

thanks a lot.

bertolt

11-11-2008, 12:09 PM

Thanks a Bunch Kontraband!:icon14:

kontraband

11-11-2008, 08:29 PM

Nooooo problem :)

RogerPodacter

11-11-2008, 09:57 PM

does the n85 have dedicated audio hardware like the new n96? is the music quality better than the n95 8GB? how is the volume of the loudpeakers during a phone call compared to the n95 8GB? are they just as loud?

kontraband

12-11-2008, 09:23 AM

The music quality is very good, perhaps down to the speaker quality/placement. It is an issue if you are playing music and holding the phone as one speaker is in the bottom corner of the phone and the sound then gets pushed into your palm. Its loud for sure.

mamoo_51

12-11-2008, 10:36 AM

Its loud for sure.

Until, of course, It decides to randomly reboot for no reason at all :mad:

yateng

13-11-2008, 08:45 AM

Yes Mamoo, the reboot problem is really anoying, specially when you realize that you have been two hours offline and have a lot of missed calls.
The rebooting problem is a big problem, in my opinion.
We are talking about phones, after all, and if the phone doesn't work, who cares about the cameras, gps and the rest of the gadgets?.
I am sending it back to Nokia, there is no point in paying a fortune for a phone that doesn't work.

kontraband

13-11-2008, 09:53 AM

clearly rebooting is a problem. Didn't experience any myself so far though.

a2k24

13-11-2008, 08:26 PM

does the n85 have dedicated audio hardware like the new n96? is the music quality better than the n95 8GB? how is the volume of the loudpeakers during a phone call compared to the n95 8GB? are they just as loud?

im really liking the music quality of this phone. but through the headphones only. loudspeakers are v.bad imo. not using the provided headphones though.

kontraband

14-11-2008, 12:22 AM

I think its loud on speaker, but clearer... so the loudness may not be as harsh as the N95x.

Either way though, a decent pair of headphones are going to win out over the nokia ones and the speakers.

Jerro

17-11-2008, 10:37 AM

( see blue text)
kontraband, more queries for you please,

-are u able to install ADVANCED DEVICE LOCKS, CRYPTO or any other apps that password protects specified apps/folders?

ADL is confirmed as being compatible with N85, Cryto isnt listed as comptible but does list other FP2 compatible sets.

-how's the reception of youtube videos
m.youtube, I'm having a gateway issue on... though its not N85 specific... will try later

-i have these apps in my phone and hoping they will work on this phone:
joikospot, yes internet radio, yes worldmate, screenshotyes smartmovie, fring,yes nimbuzz, shozu, ccam, msn messenger.

For the others you'll need to check the compat lists or test it out.

thanks a lot.

That question about MSN Messenger (well, Windows Live Messenger), it DOESN'T work with FP2 phones, because dep.sisx can't install due to a certificate error. I even tried signing it myself to no avail :(

I have one version working which I got off the Nokia Hong Kong website, but according to another forum, it's not official. Nevertheless it works, albeit it doesn't look at slick or work as convenient as Windows Live Messenger.

davyjones

20-11-2008, 10:52 AM

kontraband,
Is the music quality comparable with the best possible model of a SE phone? (like w902, w980) currently phones with best music quality. tryed them both.
And they are good, no background noise, good bass and so on.
Reviews say Samsung innov8 is the best at the market, dunno never tryed it.

Niether owned a separate music player, only used SE phones for that purpose, which have been quite enough for my ears.
But may n85 be adequate?

Jerro

21-11-2008, 07:31 AM

kontraband,
Is the music quality comparable with the best possible model of a SE phone? (like w902, w980) currently phones with best music quality. tryed them both.
And they are good, no background noise, good bass and so on.
Reviews say Samsung innov8 is the best at the market, dunno never tryed it.

Niether owned a separate music player, only used SE phones for that purpose, which have been quite enough for my ears.
But may n85 be adequate?

I have a Creative Zen Vision: M as a separate MP3 player, and I have to say that the N85 has similar, if not better sound quality. Although, it does tend to be very loud. I listen to it at around 10% on the bus, and I lower the volume down with my earphones when I'm at home.

kontraband

21-11-2008, 02:17 PM

davyjones, yeah...I would say it is comparable. Its not better though IMO. Its is a good spacial sound from the new speaker position on the handset, but it means that you want to put it down to listen to it.. not hold it. Nokia clearly have a focus on music at the moment so I would expect them to be looking to match SE for music quality. I think it would be adeqate for sure.

bertolt

22-11-2008, 09:16 AM

after all the readings from various forum opinions, finally got this gem 2 days ago. some initial frustrating experience but i'll take my time.

most concern is the picture quality. i find it hard to believe that my 2mp e61i gets a clearer and vivid pics than this phone in indoor conditions. i assume it is the display itself and not the picture since the overall display is generally warm (i hope so!). does anybody have the same experience? any adjustment/settings i need to do or we need to wait for fw upgrade in the not so distant future?

One question I have is will the fm transmitter work at the same time as bluetooth connection? My car does not have bluetooth, but I'm considering getting a Jabra BT3030 to use as a remote control.

Thanks.:)

delirii

24-11-2008, 04:05 PM

Hi everyone,

Just have a question about this phone : is it possible to add more than 8Gb of external memory (with a 16gb card for instance). Nokia's website specifies up to 8gb...

pennas

24-11-2008, 06:15 PM

Hi everyone,

Just have a question about this phone : is it possible to add more than 8Gb of external memory (with a 16gb card for instance). Nokia's website specifies up to 8gb...

I'm using a 16gig card in mine, so yes ;)

delirii

24-11-2008, 08:22 PM

Oh great. That was an important point and the main reason why I didn't consider the N85 before... what a mistake.

Another question. I own a N95-8Gb (*) which plays smoothly divx videos (with CorePlayer) without the need to resize or whatever. I've that N96 wasn't as good as my N95 because of a worse processor (previous model and lower frequency).

Did anyone test Coreplayer on the N85 ?

Thanks for all.

(*) : In fact I do not plan to change my phone : my n95 is perfect for me, but my wife needs a new phone... and that's why I 'm looking for something good, at least as good as mine.

RogerPodacter

25-11-2008, 06:26 AM

Hi everyone,

Just have a question about this phone : is it possible to add more than 8Gb of external memory (with a 16gb card for instance). Nokia's website specifies up to 8gb...

yes the phone can go up to 32GB when those cards come out. 16GB will work also.

RogerPodacter

25-11-2008, 06:28 AM

after all the readings from various forum opinions, finally got this gem 2 days ago. some initial frustrating experience but i'll take my time.

most concern is the picture quality. i find it hard to believe that my 2mp e61i gets a clearer and vivid pics than this phone in indoor conditions. i assume it is the display itself and not the picture since the overall display is generally warm (i hope so!). does anybody have the same experience? any adjustment/settings i need to do or we need to wait for fw upgrade in the not so distant future?

unfortunately i think you have to wait for a firmware upgrade. in other forums i frequent, the posted pics from the n85 camera are very poor using the flash indoor in dark settings. even compared to the nokia 6500 which also has a dual led flash, the n85 has something wrong with its flash. its very yellowish. i just cant believe its that bad, so i am hoping nokia can fix it in a firmware update.

RogerPodacter

25-11-2008, 06:31 AM

Oh great. That was an important point and the main reason why I didn't consider the N85 before... what a mistake.

Another question. I own a N95-8Gb (*) which plays smoothly divx videos (with CorePlayer) without the need to resize or whatever. I've that N96 wasn't as good as my N95 because of a worse processor (previous model and lower frequency).

Did anyone test Coreplayer on the N85 ?

Thanks for all.

(*) : In fact I do not plan to change my phone : my n95 is perfect for me, but my wife needs a new phone... and that's why I 'm looking for something good, at least as good as mine.

even though the n96 has a slower CPU, i think its been improved with video playback so its actually better than the n95 8GB. i know the n96 can play higher bitrate videos than the n85. i'm pretty sure what i read says the n96 is very good at video playback, so dont count it out in the video department. the n95 is better in other areas, but i dont think video is one of them.

delirii

25-11-2008, 06:53 PM

even though the n96 has a slower CPU, i think its been improved with video playback so its actually better than the n95 8GB. i know the n96 can play higher bitrate videos than the n85. i'm pretty sure what i read says the n96 is very good at video playback, so dont count it out in the video department. the n95 is better in other areas, but i dont think video is one of them.

Thanks for your answer. But it doesn't seem to be the case with the current CorePlayer version. N96 seems to suffer from a too slow CPU and CorePlayer doesn't take advantage of its embedded hardware acceleration dedicated to the video (if there is one).

looks like everyones getting along here with the Q&A... cheers all :cool:

venom037

17-12-2008, 02:09 AM

Oh great. That was an important point and the main reason why I didn't consider the N85 before... what a mistake.

Another question. I own a N95-8Gb (*) which plays smoothly divx videos (with CorePlayer) without the need to resize or whatever. I've that N96 wasn't as good as my N95 because of a worse processor (previous model and lower frequency).

Did anyone test Coreplayer on the N85 ?

Thanks for all.

(*) : In fact I do not plan to change my phone : my n95 is perfect for me, but my wife needs a new phone... and that's why I 'm looking for something good, at least as good as mine.

I can confirm that Coreplayer is working flawlessly on the N85 same as on the N95-8GB. HOWEVER I do find that the TFT screen is more clear then the LOED screen not just with Coreplayer but in general... but thats just me.

I bot the N85 1 week ago and experienced my first reboot. I have a Hong Kong unbranded model and I can confirm a few things:

1) NSU CAN detect my phone but no firmware updates as of yet
2) Camera seems not as clear or responsive as the N95
3) only had 1 reboot and that was wen my N85 was on low battery
4) N85 a bit slow but if you turn OFF a) auto screen rotate b) theme animation the phone speed drastically increases to a bareable quickness
5) After turning off the auto rotate you cannot manually rotate pictures when viewing, if you can pls let me know.
6) Hong Kong unbranded models DON'T HAVE FM Transmitter, I hear if u update firmware then it has but I dont want to change my phone code to udate as I read this will cause more problems then solving any.

My observations only.. thank you

RogerPodacter

17-12-2008, 08:07 PM

with auto rotate turned off, just slide the slider to expose the music keys and that rotates the screen to landscape. i'm surprised how many dont know this considering the n95 has been this way since day 1.

batman4ever

03-01-2009, 10:15 AM

Hey,

A religious follower of Nokia, m quite pleased with N85 which i purchased a month back.

I just had a few queries;

a) During a call (incoming/outgoing), the number is displayed on a narrow band which is semi-transparent white in color. The color of the number also turns out to be white which is merged in the narrow band. This makes it difficult to know the number/caller immediately. I tried changing to different themes but the problem persisted. Pls Help. :con?

b) When someone calls, either a photo selected for the caller turns up or a random plain blur picture comes in the background which overshadows the theme during the call. How do i avoid this? :con?